Saturday, January 29, 2011

Ok - now that my Facebook profile has been deactivated for an entire month (I hadn't posted since October anyway), I think I'd better hurry & give my 2 cents on why I ultimately prefer Twitter before I lose complete touch with what Facebook is.

Right now, there's just too much shit goin on with Facebook, between gettin poked by someone who never speaks or calls, declining numerous invites from shameless club/party promoters (only to have fresh invites take the place of those deleted by the end of the day), being tagged in everyone else's photo albums (usually without permission), side-stepping Mafia Wars & FarmVille requests daily, I just needed an indefinite break from it all.

Then there's the issue with Facebook's ever-changing privacy terms & toggles (causing me to NEVER fully understand what is & isn't being published in the Newsfeeds of friends & strangers alike). I haven't got much to hide, but that doesn't mean I enjoy being investigated by past, present & potential employers, lovers & haters either, lol.

Just how much info is considered too much to share in a status update nowadays? Don't get me wrong, I'm happy the judge reduced the amount of debt you owe a creditor, but should this really be the type of shit posted as your current status? I don't know, maybe I'm just gettin old. But ironically, those who post these kinds of status updates would be far better suited for a social networking website like Twitter, where the posting of random thoughts & activities are actually encouraged.

I'm also wondering if chronic use of social networking as a primary means of communication among peers/associates weaken our ability to communicate with 1 another in real life. Quite honestly, I love the idea of Facebook in essence, but I think we've grown so accustomed to sharing news with 'friends' via Facebook status updates that we've severely handicapped our own ability (or willingness) to reach-out & actually touch people.

Do you truly value 167 posts to your wall, all wishing you a happy birthday, when it's clear that outside of 6 people, none of you 639 'friends' would have a clue (or really even care if they did) that it's your birthday if not for the barrage of wall posts from others alerting them of the fact? But truthfully speaking, I image many people DO love the attention, artificial as it may be.

The thing that initially drew me to Facebook was the fact that you knew that most of your peers were almost guaranteed to have an active profile there. A great tool for reconnecting with people you haven't heard from in years. But that too grew to become a stale feature for me & I found myself wanting to be less accessible to people with each login. Shit, between this blog & my Twitter page, I think that's more that enough info for the typical stranger anyway.

I didn't really see much on-going discourse on Facebook outside of the funniest YouTube post of the morning or some woman proclaiming how's she's done with men for good while 37 of her equally bitter friends chime in to share the moment as well, lol. It became more & more difficult to filter-out all of Facebook's bullshit & get to the news & thoughts of the people I actually logged-in to see. As a result, I went another route about 2 years back & I've never been happier.

"I tried Twitter, but I just don't get it." <-- This is probably the most common thing I hear about Twitter from folks who aren't regular users of the website. The statement slightly amuses me since you really couldn't come up with much more of a simple concept than Twitter. You simply update your profile with what your doing, thinking, wondering or whatever. 9 times out of 10, someone in the Twitter-World has a thought or opinion on what you just imparted. But people use Twitter in all kinds of different ways & I guess that's what makes it so difficult to fully explain.

Companies find Twitter useful as an unofficial customer service/public relations forum. Celebrities tweet alot, allowing for unheralded access to voice what you liked & what you didn't. You're almost blown away whenever a celebrity or other high profile individual reads your thoughts & actually replies to you directly. The access Twitter gives the everyday Joe in regard to voicing such opinions about artists, businesses, politicians so on & so fourth is simply put, amazing! Also impressive is Twitter's ability to break news, & break it fast. It's very rare to find a piece of major news in another portal before it's already being discussed in the Twitterverse - it's almost to the point where if it hasn't been tweeted, it's not news...

I think the frustration experienced by some has much to do with the fact that they expect (or want) Twitter to be another Facebook - that's never been the case & I hope it never will be. I imagine the 1st thing a recent convert notices about Twitter is that there are no photo galleries, games or in-depth user profile sections within Twitter's user interface. That's a good thing as Twitter's user interface & overall simplicity really doesn't lend itself towards the over-blown perceptions or misrepresentations of oneself in an attempt to impress others.

RT @Ghostwriter28: You ARE what you TWEET & those various chunks of insight, fuckery & news go a long way towards shaping the following you attract...

Monday, January 24, 2011

In light of President Obama's upcoming State of the Union Address tomorow evening, I thought I'd fill you guys in on what's on my mind since I haven't blogged in a week. Bare with me as this is somewhat of an impromptu post, but I'm sitting here at home having thoughts of moving west again.

All signs point to LA, yet I haven't had that 1 event that makes me pack up my shit & leave. But I'm getting closer & I've got a little nest egg set aside - guess I'm just waiting on that critical moment when I have to decide if that's what I'm gonna do.

But all things considered, no reason to hang my head at the current moment here on the home front. Work is work & social life is.... well, social. So I guess I'm well within the status quo, but I do still have that inner-feeling of unfulfillment that keeps me on the edge of my seat, constantly awaiting the next great opportunity.

Granted they're obviously bigger things to worry about in life, so it's not an issue I sit & kick myself about, but an issue nonetheless. My solution? Ok, I'll admit it, I pretty much have no methodology or approach employed - I'm wingin' it. If someone asked me what I thought I'd be doing in 10 years, I'd have no idea what I'd tell 'em & considering the systematic, routined person I've become, that scares me.

I don't quite know my path in life right now, what I do know is that my eyes are wide open. Meaning I'll either have a front-row seat for that astonishing "ah-ha" moment, or a 1st-hand account of the man that never was. In either instance, I'm generally a private & easy-going kind of dude, so the occasional bleakness of my inner-thoughts would never spill into the outside world aside from the text you read before you.

At the end of the day, I'm thankful that I'm here & I appreciate every moment (even the lesser ones) of this life I lead. You know why? Cuz I don't want to be miserable. It's neither the person I am, nor the man I'd prefer to be remembered as. Ok, I'm starting to I feel like I'm in an AA meeting, so I think I'll spare myself from further judgement, lol... <-- "Thanks for allowing me to share."

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Perhaps a better title for this post might've been 'Off & Running' as I've got a few reservations about switching to Verizon just yet. This past Tuesday Verizon announced it's (official) plans to carry the Apple iPhone, a move long awaited by current iPhone users, previously hand-cuffed to AT&T for wireless service over the past 5 years.

What this means for iPhone users is that there's finally competition in the marketplace, surely benefitting longtime users of the device.

Verizon is beginning to stock it's stores & warehouses with a newly developed CDMA network version of Apple's iPhone 4 (GSM-based network versions of iPhone 4 have been available via AT&T since early 2010) & are expected to release the smartphone in early February - at least that's the word we all got in Tuesday's press event.

I was certainly among the masses longing for the eventual announcement (& subsequent release details) by Verizon, I think the feature I most looked forward to was the ability to maintain a data signal while below street level in underground subway tunnels. Even still, I think I'm content to remain with AT&T for my wireless service for the time being for 2 major (& 1 minor) reasons.

#1 Verizon's version of iPhone 4 WILL NOT be a 4G device: With all the advertising Verizon has thrown our way, touting it's 4G devices in the works, I was hoping their version of the iPhone 4 would be among those, wishful thinking I soon discovered. It appears Verizon's big push was solely to get an iPhone in their lineup. Nonetheless, I'm super glad they managed to do so.

#2 Apple's special development of the device as a CDMA-based network device (for use on Verizon's wireless network): Though in essence a stronger network in many regards, it tends to restrict/reduce data usage on mobile handsets when calls are in progess: This means no surfing the net, receiving notifications, or undergoing any task requiring use of a wireless data signal until completing a call (a pretty major flaw for anyone who's grown accustomed to doing so for years with AT&T's GSM-based network version of the device).

The same would apply towards what would have been one of the VZW version's best features over AT&T's - the internal mobile hotspot allowing for internet connection for up to 5 devices. Because of network lmitations, you wouldn't be able to get a call while transmitting a data signal. I wonder how long this will be a drawback of the current Verizon/CDMA network technology, hopefully the issue will be resolved by the next model. Speaking of which...

#3 ...iPhone 5 (or whatever Apple decides to call it *this is the minor reason*) We all know it's coming, the question is when???: The spring is approaching & that's generally the time that Apple likes to announce their upcoming releases for the summer & early fall & they're clearly not shy about releasing 2 successive models of a device in less than 2 years time, especially with Verizon's Droid series of phones (running Google's Android OS) closing-in on their market, fast! I don't think it would real ly smart to get a VZW iPhone now only to be clamoring for yet another new phone if the 5 drops this summer...

Aside from those flaws, it appears that Verizon's version of the smartphone will for the most part operate pretty much the same as AT&T's iPhone 4 & will essentially be a carbon copy (as far as it features operating system is concerned). With that in mind, it looks as though the table is set for the 1st 4G iPhone (iPhone 5) to be released simultaneously on both carriers (& who knows? Maybe even more).

So I'll be waiting on that particular series of events to unfold & will once again compare the up/downside of switching my wireless service provider to Verizon at that point. Though Verizon's version isn't quite the device I was hoping for from Apple, I remain ecstatic that AT&T's long-standing exclusivity rights have since lapsed & now, the world has far greater access to this genius of a device. Long live the Apple, lol...

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

In this, the 3rd meeting of the year, I expect a full-on assault of anyone who carries the ball for either of the 2 teams. This will be the 8th meeting for Baltimore & Pittsburgh in the past 3 seasons & the simple fact is these 2 teams know 1 another far too well. Right down to each player, each coach, each tendency, each strength & specifically - each perceived weakness.

The NFL's AFC North Division Champion Steelers finished the season with a record identical to the Ravens (12-4), & the 2 teams split the regular season series (1-1). The past 4 meetings between the 2 have been split as well & get this - the total points scored by the 2 in those 4 games were 67 a piece! Even crazier, all 4 of those games were decided by 3 points, exactly. Both teams play in cities rich in tough, blue-collar tradition & accordingly, neither fan base appears to want Saturday's win any less than the other.

In the previous December meeting in Baltimore, both teams' quarterbacks were abused throughout the contest. The low-scoring affair featured a bloody, broken nosed Ben Roethlisberger & a baffled, overwhelmed Joe Flacco (who surrendered a game-changing fumble in the closing minutes of the game). Both men were courageous in the effort put fourth on behalf of their respective teams.

In that game, both quarterbacks threw for numbers in the neighborhood of 250 yards & each threw 1 touchdown pass (to Issac Remond & Anquan Boldin), accompanied by a turnover. Neither running back (Rashard Mendenhall or Ray Rice) eclipsed the 45-yard mark in the game & special teams really weren't a factor for either squad.

Though the match-up seems even on paper (not to mention the way it's actually been playing-out on the field in recent years), I expect 1 team to take control of this game early. There's no doubt players on both sides will exchange punches til the bitter end, but at this point in the season, injuries & fatigue should play a larger role, so you'd want to take a halftime lead into the locker room. In my estimation, it'll come down to the team that wants it more - I'm hoping that team will be the 1 wearing purple...

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Friday morning as I rode the train into work, I browsed Jet magazine & came across an article that highlighted the 2010 Black College Football All-American Team. "No Howard players this year," I thought to myself. But just what is the deal with the Howard University football program anyway?

Over the past 3 seasons, HU has posted a whopping record of 4-29, including an even more abysmal conference record of 0-24 over the same timespan (yes, 0-24). It's down-right embarrassing when you KNOW 80% of the people at a home game are there just to see the marching band. Long gone are the glory days when teams knew they could count on one hell of a battle when facing the Bison.

2004 was the last time the football team actually posted a winning record (6-5, overall) & I simply don't know the last time they posted a winning conference record. Shit, they can't even manage to schedule homecoming games to win anymore - the last time they managed to do so was 2007, it was the highlight of yet, another losing season. I mean really - the bleakness of the program's current situation commands immediate attention from somebody, hell anybody!

Something is fundamentally broken with the HU Athletic Department with specific regard to the football team & rather than do something about it, the University is perfectly fine with using the standard "we're an educational institution 1st" approach whenever someone brings to light the consistent ineptitude of the football program.

While I can't argue with that fact, I can say that people take a certain amount of pride from watching their alma maters compete & win the big football game. It's a sense of accomplishment shared by everyone close to a given institution, so it would be nice if university administration showed interest in the current state of the football program, or at the very least - a lil' school pride for goodness sake...

Friday, January 7, 2011

While messin around online the other day, I ran across this poem & thought it was pretty deep, so I figured I’d share it as my 1st "Feature Friday" post, where I plan to spotlight someone else's work on (what I hope) will be the 1st Friday of each month.

Do you (or someone else you know) have any work you like shared, if so, shoot me an email at Ghostwriter28@me.com & I'd be glad to post it, if it cuts the mustard, that is, lol. Ami Linaiah's 2007 poem, 'Always Leave the Cage Door Open, So Your Lovebird Can Return,' reads as follows…

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Today Ma & Pops celebrated 40 wonderful years of marriage - Wow! A truly amazing feat given the fact that these days, the divorce rate equates to the simple flip of a coin.

I say this, not to demoralize those who are married or preparing for the big plunge, but rather to bring light to just how remarkable their accomplishment is! As a child, there was never a doubt in my mind as to who my best role models were. Even at such a young age, I could see the love they shared for 1 another & I never for a moment doubted if their love fully lent itself to both my brother & I. My only regret is that I can't be certain if they'll ever know the joys of being a grandparents - something I think they both deserve.

I often wonder what it might be like to find someone to spend the rest of my life with, for better & for worse. Clearly, I've never gotten close to that point, but it certainly hasn't stopped me from daydreaming. Think about it, a person to come home to & share life's daily triumphs & troubles with - how sweet must THAT be? As I type, I'm reminded of the Lyfe Jennings song, "Must be Nice," so much that I'll likely title this post as such.

While privileged to be raised by 2 great partners, I've also witnessed the many ways that a marriage shouldn't work. I've never experienced a bond both consistent & strong enough to suggest such a union - yet plenty of my family & friends have taken the next step in their respective relationships at various points & at best, the results have been mixed. Trust me, that's quite a generous assessment!

Generally speaking - I just don't think most people (myself included) possess the patience, courage & humility it takes to sustain such a relationship over time. Sure, there are plenty of people who welcome the idea, but in my opinion, folks put far too much value in winning individual battles, rather than achieving victory in this great war we've affectionately come to know as love. Ironically, I think it's this same, sad reality that's keeping me sane.

But don't get me wrong, I'm definitely keeping hope alive, but at this point, I just want someone I can stand to be in the same room with, lol. Lately, I've found myself in relationships where neither party seems to be willing to give an inch when it comes to typical (or atypical) quarrels. As a result, I've added the task of taking the proper prospective in & out of each disagreement to my list of things to improve upon in the future.

At the ripe age of 29, indeed, I'm still growing & I'd be the very 1st to admit it. What saddens me a bit is that I can't quite tell whether I'm growing with, or away from those I'd hoped would be closer to coming full-circle by now. It seems the latter has been the case & I don't like it AT ALL. Yet & still, I must do what's healthy for me, which includes knowing when to moving on.

Alas, with new beginnings come new experiences, ideas & people alike - as I press forward into 2011, I welcome the many challenges ahead...